The Nintendo Switch (OLED model) wasn't the "Pro" upgrade many expected it to be with 4K support and new internals but before its announcement, other handhelds aimed to take the role of the "Switch Pro". The AYA NEO and GPD Win 3 are among those devices shooting for that nickname since they are able to run recent AAA PC games on the go, given that they are handheld gaming PCs. Their efforts and popularity, although niche, enticed companies like Lenovo and Tencent to make similar concepts or patents; indicating that these indie companies might have more serious competition in the future.

It seems like this will indeed be the case and these handheld gaming PC manufacturers will need to brace themselves as Valve is itself entering this market with a Valve-branded handheld gaming PC. This news was actually reported back in May and today we have the official confirmation. In a Steam post today, Valve revealed the Steam Deck, an AMD-based handheld gaming PC that is expected to begin shipping in December 2021 in select regions.

The software giant partnered with AMD to create a custom APU for the handheld that is said to be "optimized for handheld gaming". "It is a Zen 2 + RDNA 2 powerhouse, delivering more than enough performance to run the latest AAA games in a very efficient power envelope," reads the announcement.

It will run on SteamOS 3.0 (Arch-based) and there will be several models of the Steam Deck, which differ on the storage capacity, with the base model starting at $399. However, every model will include a microSD slot for additional storage capacity. For more details about the models available and their price, refer to the image below:

You can find additional specs details in the images below (click/tap to enlarge):

​

And just like the AYA NEO and GPD Win 3, the Steam Deck will also have a dock which will be sold separately. This accessory will provide ports for external displays, wired networking, USB peripherals, and power. More details about the dock's pricing will be announced at a later date but you can find some specs details in the thumbnail below:

​

Valve says that the Steam Deck will start shipping this December to the United States, Canada, the European Union and the United Kingdom, with more regions coming in 2022. However, to be able to purchase one, you will need to book a paid reservation which will let you pre-order when the time comes. This reservation fee will also count towards the Steam Deck purchase price.

"The main reason for reservations is to ensure an orderly and fair ordering process for customers when Steam Deck inventory becomes available," writes Valve in the announcement FAQ. "The additional fee gives us a clearer signal of intent to purchase, which gives us better data to balance supply chain, inventory, and regional distribution leading up to launch."

Reservations for the Steam Deck will open Friday July 16th, 10am PDT. For more details about the new handheld gaming PC, head to the source link and official Steam Deck website linked below.

Are you interested in getting one?

SOURCE
Steam Deck Official Website

 

[chrisrlink]

i might shell out after reviews

 

[Xzi]

So is there a way to tell where you are in the reservations?

Not really. If you got in the first hour and a half-ish, you should be set for Q1 2022. Unless you got the 512GB model which moved to Q2 a lot quicker.

 

[LightyKD]

Fukkin' xbox buttons amirite mates

Honestly wish the thing had GameCube buttons but I don't plan to use it in portable mode often. At the least, they could have colored the damn buttons :/

 

[White_Raven_X]

View attachment 270006​

The Nintendo Switch (OLED model) wasn't the "Pro" upgrade many expected it to be with 4K support and new internals but before its announcement, other handhelds aimed to take the role of the "Switch Pro". The AYA NEO and GPD Win 3 are among those devices shooting for that nickname since they are able to run recent AAA PC games on the go, given that they are handheld gaming PCs. Their efforts and popularity, although niche, enticed companies like Lenovo and Tencent to make similar concepts or patents; indicating that these indie companies might have more serious competition in the future.

It seems like this will indeed be the case and these handheld gaming PC manufacturers will need to brace themselves as Valve is itself entering this market with a Valve-branded handheld gaming PC. This news was actually reported back in May and today we have the official confirmation. In a Steam post today, Valve revealed the Steam Deck, an AMD-based handheld gaming PC that is expected to begin shipping in December 2021 in select regions.

The software giant partnered with AMD to create a custom APU for the handheld that is said to be "optimized for handheld gaming". "It is a Zen 2 + RDNA 2 powerhouse, delivering more than enough performance to run the latest AAA games in a very efficient power envelope," reads the announcement.

It will run on SteamOS 3.0 (Arch-based) and there will be several models of the Steam Deck, which differ on the storage capacity, with the base model starting at $399. However, every model will include a microSD slot for additional storage capacity. For more details about the models available and their price, refer to the image below:

View attachment 270010​

You can find additional specs details in the images below (click/tap to enlarge):

View attachment 270013 View attachment 270014​

And just like the AYA NEO and GPD Win 3, the Steam Deck will also have a dock which will be sold separately. This accessory will provide ports for external displays, wired networking, USB peripherals, and power. More details about the dock's pricing will be announced at a later date but you can find some specs details in the thumbnail below:

View attachment 270011
View attachment 270015​

Valve says that the Steam Deck will start shipping this December to the United States, Canada, the European Union and the United Kingdom, with more regions coming in 2022. However, to be able to purchase one, you will need to book a paid reservation which will let you pre-order when the time comes. This reservation fee will also count towards the Steam Deck purchase price.

"The main reason for reservations is to ensure an orderly and fair ordering process for customers when Steam Deck inventory becomes available," writes Valve in the announcement FAQ. "The additional fee gives us a clearer signal of intent to purchase, which gives us better data to balance supply chain, inventory, and regional distribution leading up to launch."

Reservations for the Steam Deck will open Friday July 16th, 10am PDT. For more details about the new handheld gaming PC, head to the source link and official Steam Deck website linked below.

Are you interested in getting one?

SOURCE
Steam Deck Official Website

Reserved mine! Great pricepoint, smaller then a laptop and almost as powerful. It will also be cool to play my switch games with an emulator and be able to check emails, movies and everything else you can do with a Windows based "tablet" style portable gaming device.
Can't wait!

"Valve recommends not wiping SteamOS for Windows — naturally — but designer Lawrence Yang told IGN that it was possible."

Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/can-you-install-windows-steam-deck?amp

 

[subcon959]

512GB model is the one that the scalpers will go for so it's gonna sell the quickest. Already seen ebay listings for 5000.

 

[Shenrai]

Not really. If you got in the first hour and a half-ish, you should be set for Q1 2022. Unless you got the 512GB model which moved to Q2 a lot quicker.

Wait did I miss something? Thought they were launching in December. Got my preorder in at 10:00 PDT.

 

[krasaty]

Wait did I miss something? Thought they were launching in December. Got my preorder in at 10:00 PDT.

Shipping in December (probably late december). Could take a while to ship.

 

[mattyxarope]

I tried to upscale the shots of the desktop-mode on SteamOS.

I managed to snag a 64gb version after an hour in the queue. I'm perfectly fine with just buying a terabyte SD card and using that - I actually prefer that. I think the highest price model doesn't make sense.

 

[Xzi]

Wait did I miss something? Thought they were launching in December. Got my preorder in at 10:00 PDT.

They are, but realistically very few people were ever going to actually get theirs in December. If you got your reservation in just as they opened you might be one of those lucky few.

 

[subcon959]

December is when they will begin sending out invitations to order.. there is no clear date for when shipping is supposed to start.

 

[Xzi]

December is when they will begin sending out invitations to order.. there is no clear date for when shipping is supposed to start.

I imagine they won't send out invitations to order until they've actually got the product on-hand and ready to ship, so there should be people who get theirs in December.

 

[LightyKD]

Y'all over there crying about lack of storage. I been ready for years! This device is the culmination of a 6 year dream!

 

[FFTfanatic]

Couldn’t even preorder smh

Is it all out for you? If so, there's a second pre-order registration window on July 18.

 

[Kioku]

Can't wait to put a retro library on this thing!

 

[Xzi]

Can't wait to put a retro library on this thing!

Even more options now that RetroArch is on Steam.

 

[Rahkeesh]

Even more options now that RetroArch is on Steam.

Now we just need to run steam inside of win98 inside of dosbox inside of retroarch downloaded from steam...

 

[MikaDubbz]

I think we're in store for a lot of these kinds of devices in the near future. Think I'll wait a year or so and see what this landscape looks like, if the consensus is that they're great devices and if there are even nicer models out by then, I may just get one at that point.

 

[NyaakoXD]

For me, honestly, it seems like the best portable emulation machine, and that's about it. I don't really mind that it can play PC games, but I feel there might be other issues that haven't been addressed thoroughly. I think pre-ordering is not a great idea, but that's just me.

It's promising, but to an extent.

 

[NoNAND]

If you can mod this thing up and put yuzu or whatever in it, then it'll literally be a switch killer, lmao.

Nintendo is watching

 

[MikaDubbz]

I imagine that you'll be able to use Game Pass on this device, which really makes me think Nintendo should work something out with Microsoft already, put streaming Game Pass on the Switch and/or allow us to remote play our own Xbox with our own Switch.